Development, Description, and Acceptability of Small-Group, Behavioral Intervention to Prevent HIV and Hepatitis C Virus Infections Among Young Adult Injection Drug Users

"Young injection drug users (IDUs) who are not infected with HIV or hepatitis C virus are at great risk of acquiring one or both of these infections through their sexual or injection behaviors," the authors wrote. In the current study, they describe the development of a behavioral intervention designed to decrease sexual and injection risk behaviors in this population.

A dynamic and iterative process involving development activities, focus groups with the target population to pilot individual intervention sessions, and pilot testing of the full program was used to develop the intervention. The resulting six-session intervention relied on both social-cognitive theories and peer influence models. The investigators also designed a control intervention, trained facilitators, and evaluated the intervention's delivery. Participants were asked about their intervention experiences; potential contamination in both study arms was examined.

"Both interventions were delivered with high fidelity, and participants in both groups reported positive experiences," the authors concluded. "More perceived impact was reported for injection risk behaviors than for sexual risk behaviors among participants in the intervention arm. Minimal evidence of contamination was found. Lessons learned can help future researchers to develop stronger interventions for this high-need population."

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